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Bird species new to North America – a summary

The size of each circle represents the number of species new for North America found in that state or province since 1985.

New birds are being added to the North American list at a steady rate, and there is no reason to think that the pace of discovery will slow. Some birds are expanding their ranges or pioneering new patterns of occurrence. Some species are being discovered in places like pelagic waters or the Bering Sea islands, which have been relatively poorly explored. And some are found just because more birders are in the field and are better-prepared than ever before. The map above shows a graphic representation of where new birds have been found since the mid-1980s, and a table below lists 57 species added to the list since 1985.
If you want to try to find a new bird for North America, the best place to look is apparently Alaska, followed shortly by California and Texas, and then Florida and Arizona. Pelagic birding has been one of the most productive “frontiers” over the last few decades. Note that 7 out of 8 new species added in California are seabirds (although only four of them were seen from boats well offshore), and in North Carolina all four recent additions are pelagic species seen from boats.

Most or all of these pelagic additions are probably just the result of more observers finally discovering long-standing patterns of occurrence, but we will never know for sure. Recent additions in Texas, Arizona, and Florida are more likely to be new patterns of occurrence – species pushing the boundaries of their range.

One interesting aspect of the map is how few species have added to the list outside of the states/provinces at the “corners” of the continent. New Mexico and Louisiana both make a relatively good showing with two records each, but beyond that there are only five scattered records from five different places.

I know that the table below is incomplete, especially on older records. Please let me know of any additions or corrections.

Species

Discovery date

Location

State/
Province

Red-legged Thrush Turdus plumbeus

31-May-2010

Maritime Hammock Sanctuary, Melbourne Beach, Brevard County

FL

Solitary Snipe Gallinago solitaria

24-May-2010

near Alexai Point, Attu Island,

AK

Amazon Kingfisher Chloroceryle amazona

24-Jan-2010

Rio Grande at Laredo, Webb County

TX

Bare-throated Tiger-Heron Tigrisoma mexicanum

21-Dec-2009

Bentsen–Rio Grande Valley State Park, Hidalgo County,

TX

Brown-backed Solitaire Myadestes occidentalis

16-Jul-2009

Miller Canyon, Cochise Count

AZ

Gray-collared Becard Pachyramphus major

5-Jun-2009

Cave Creek Canyon, Cochise County

AZ

Sungrebe Heliornis fulica

13-Nov-2008

Bosque del Apache NWR

NM

Sinaloa Wren Thryothorus sinaloa

25-Aug-2008

Patagonia–Sonoita Creek Preserve, Santa Cruz County

AZ

Rufous-tailed Robin Luscinia sibilans

4-Jun-2008

West Massacre Valley, Attu Island

AK

Crowned Slaty-Flycatcher Empidonomus aurantioatrocristatus

3-Jun-2008

Peveto Beach Woods, Cameron Parish

LA

White-crested Elaenia Elaenia albiceps

9-Feb-2008

South Padre Island

TX

Yellow-browed Bunting Emberiza chrysophrys

15-Sep-2007

Gambell, St. Lawrence Island

AK

Sedge Warbler Acrocephalus schoenobaenus

1-Sep-2007

Gambell, St. Lawrence Island

AK

Brown Hawk-Owl Ninox scutulata

25-Aug-2007

St. Paul Island, Pribilof Islands

AK

Townsend's Shearwater Puffinus auricularis

1-Aug-2007

near Del Mar

CA

Loggerhead Kingbird Tyrannus caudifasciatus

1-Mar-2007

Fort Zachary Taylor State Park, Key West

FL

Song Thrush Turdus philomelos

1-Nov-2006

Saint-Fulgence

QC

Pallas's Warbler Phylloscopus proregulus

25-Sep-2006

Gambell, St. Lawrence Island

AK

Intermediate Egret Mesophoyx intermedia

30-May-2006

Buldir Island, Aleutian Islands

AK

Tristram's Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma tristrami

1-Apr-2006

Southeast Farallon Island

CA

Parkinson's Petrel Procellaria parkinsoni

1-Oct-2005

17.6 nautical miles northwest of the Point Reyes headlands, Marin County

CA

Ringed Storm-Petrel Oceanodroma hornbyi

2-Aug-2005

12 nautical miles off the westernmost point of San Miguel Island, Santa Barbara County